Judges 17
1 There was a man named Micah who lived in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
Pada masa itu, ada seorang laki-laki bernama Mika. Dia tinggal di daerah perbukitan Efraim.
2 One day he said to his mother, “I heard you curse whoever stole (1,100 pieces/28 pounds/13 kg.) of silver from your house. I am the one who took the silver, and I still have it.” His mother replied, “My son, I pray that Yahweh will bless you [for admitting that you took it].”
Suatu hari Mika berkata kepada ibunya, “Aku mendengar ketika Ibu mengutuk orang yang mencuri seribu seratus keping uang perak dari Ibu. Sebenarnya uang itu ada padaku. Akulah yang mengambilnya.” Lalu kata ibunya, “Anakku, semoga TUHAN memberkatimu!”
3 Micah gave all the silver back to his mother. Then she said [to herself], “I will give [some of] this silver to Yahweh.” And she said to her son, “My son, I want you to make an idol and a statue [from this silver]. So I will give [some of] this silver back to you [for making these things].”
Ketika Mika mengembalikan uang perak sebanyak seribu seratus keping itu kepada ibunya, berkatalah ibunya, “Sekarang aku menguduskan perak ini bagi TUHAN. Kita akan menggunakan perak ini untuk membuat patung dewa yang dipahat dari kayu dan dilapisi dengan perak. Patung dewa itu akan menjadi pelindung keluarga anakku.”
4 So when he gave all the silver to his mother, she took (200 pieces/about 5 pounds/1.6 kg.) of it to a (silversmith/man who made things from silver). With the silver that man made an idol and a statue, [and gave them to Micah]. Micah put them in his house.
Sesudah Mika mengembalikan uang itu kepada ibunya, ibunya mengambil dua ratus keping dan memberikannya kepada tukang perak untuk dibuat menjadi patung dewa. Sesudah selesai, patung itu ditaruh di rumah Mika.
5 He had in his house a special (shrine/place for putting sacred things). He made a sacred vest and some small idols [and put them in this shrine along with the big idol and the statue]. Then Micah chose one of his sons to become his priest.
Mika sudah mempunyai kuil penyembahan dewa di rumahnya. Mika juga sudah membuat sebuah efod dan beberapa patung berhala pelindung keluarga yang lain. Dia melantik salah satu anak laki-lakinya menjadi imam untuk kuilnya itu.
6 At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. So [Micah and everyone else] did whatever they considered to be the right thing to do.
(Pada waktu itu, bangsa Israel tidak punya raja. Setiap orang melakukan apa yang benar di mata mereka masing-masing.)
7 There was a young man who had been living in Bethlehem in the area where the tribe of Judah lives. He [wanted to work as a priest because he] was a member of the tribe of Levi.
Suatu hari seorang pemuda yang sedang merantau tiba di rumah Mika di perbukitan Efraim. Dia berasal dari suku Lewi, tetapi selama ini sudah tinggal di kota Betlehem di wilayah Yehuda.
8 So he left Bethlehem to find another place to live [and work]. He came to Micah’s house in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim live.
9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I come from Bethlehem. I am from the tribe of Levi, and I am looking for a place to live [and work as a priest].”
Mika bertanya kepada pemuda itu, “Dari mana asalmu?” Jawabnya, “Saya orang Lewi. Selama ini saya tinggal di Betlehem, di Yehuda. Sekarang saya sedang mencari tempat menetap.”
10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and you can become like a father [to counsel me], and be my priest. Each year I will give to you ten pieces of silver and some [new] clothes. And I will provide food for you.”
Lalu kata Mika kepadanya, “Tinggallah dengan saya di sini menjadi penasihat dan imam saya. Saya akan memberimu sepuluh keping uang perak setiap tahun, sepasang pakaian, dan makanan sehari-hari.”
11 So the young man agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons.
Pemuda itu setuju untuk tinggal bersama Mika. Lama-kelamaan dia menjadi seperti anak Mika sendiri.
12 Micah appointed him to be a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
Mika menahbiskan pemuda itu menjadi imamnya, dan pemuda itu tinggal di rumahnya.
13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good things for me, because I have a man from the tribe of Levi to be my priest.”
Kata Mika, “Sekarang aku yakin TUHAN akan memberkatiku, karena aku punya imam dari suku Lewi.”
